There may be no style of beer more polarizing than the pumpkin variety.

Though hugely popular — enough to warrant a few new brands every fall, anyway — they also seem to elicit more sneers than any other style. I’ve largely been among the sneerers, which is why when it came time to evaluate 20 pumpkin beers, I called in a die-hard fan.

Pumpkin beer was my 24-year-old colleague Lauren Krause’s entry into the craft beer world after college. Not only does she find autumn’s smells and flavors “insanely comforting” (draw No. 1), pumpkin beer was an easy style to reckon with when faced with so many options (draw No. 2). It’s probably a common story that helps explains pumpkin beer’s popularity.

Now, she said, “It’s a must-have — I have to have pumpkin beer every fall.”

One afternoon, we assembled a team to taste those beers. The conclusion: Even in such a narrow style, the taste, body and quality vary widely. Even Krause was surprised at the differences.

“I had mostly lumped them all together,” she said. “It was interesting to compare and contrast and see who knows what they’re doing and who doesn’t.”

Here’s who knows what they’re doing and who doesn’t, with comments from our discussion:

∎ First tier:

e_SBlt Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (Complex web of spice; a standard for a reason)